Values Voiced by Minnesota Legislators in Response to ICE Accountability Measures 

reported and written by members of the Minnesota Women’s Press Under 30 editorial board; to underwrite this series reach out

During the 2026 legislative session, Minnesota Democrats introduced a number of bills designed to hold federal agents accountable for constitutional abuses and regulate their tactics, related to the largest immigration enforcement operation in the country in the state this winter. Many of the proposed bills outlined protections for spaces like schools, childcare centers, and hospitals. While a few of them made it through the DFL-controlled Senate, none of them made it to a vote in the divided House; the majority of bills did not even make it out of committees. 

In the aftermath of an unprecedented event like Operation Metro Surge — which terrorized local community members and created trauma that will impact residents, including children, in the long term — what compelled Minnesota Republicans to oppose and effectively kill these bills? 

Protecting Children

On January 8, the day that a federal ICE agent killed Renée Good, armed U.S. Border Patrol officers showed up on school property at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, where they tackled people and unlawfully detained a school staff member. Throughout Operation Metro Surge, educators, school officials, and communities stated concerns about officers at their schools and bus stops; many families kept their children at home for safety reasons. 

A few proposed bills would have limited ICE’s access to schools and childcare centers. Republicans who spoke against them argued that the laws would have created a burden for teachers and childcare workers.

The Supremacy Clause, embedded within the Constitution of the United States, establishes that the constitution and federal law override any conflicting state laws. Historically, Republicans have advocated for systems that allow individual states to create their own laws based on residents’ unique needs. Yet measures for Minnesota-specific bills to protect residents from ICE agents were rejected by Republican members as out of their hands, being forbidden to regulate federal law.

Sen. Steve Drazkowski (R–Mazeppa), for example, accused DFL colleagues of being part of a “paramilitary organization” — referring to the protests and communication channels of neighbors with whistles warning that ICE agents were in the area — and said they were ultimately responsible for the aggressiveness of Operation Metro Surge, including the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Others contended that Minnesotans who stayed home from work out of fear of deportation were not owed emergency financial aid because they had opted to stay home. 

One of the toddlers taken by ICE and sent to Texas (photo by Sarah Whiting)

Protecting Community

Who Was Taken?

Few Minnesota Republicans publicly praised Operation Metro Surge and the federal push for mass deportation. Despite the violence and harm inflicted on local communities, however, comments were raised that the federal occupation by ICE and CBP was justified because it got rid of the “worst of the worst.”

Data released by the Deportation Data Project in late March showed that of the nearly 3,800 Minnesota residents arrested during the surge, fewer than one-quarter had a criminal conviction on their record. A Minnesota Public Radio summary indicates roughly 13 percent of those arrested had pending criminal charges; several of them were taken directly from jails.

A national accounting of who was arrested by ICE (credit to CBS News Minnesota)

On social media, and presumably during closed-door discussions, a handful of Minnesota Republicans — especially those closest to the Twin Cities enforcement operations — spoke in opposition to their party’s overall stance on Operation Metro Surge, including Reps. Marion Rarick (R–Maple Lake) and Nolan West (R–Blaine). None of them backed proposed legislation targeting ICE-related issues, however.

In the Senate, on a few immigration-related votes, Sen. Jim Abeler (R–Anoka) was the only Republican to side with Democrats. He wrote letters to both former DHS secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan urging them to scale back operations.

Unpacking the GOP Mindset

Why did votes for bills to protect Minnesotans, increase transparency, and enforce civil rights fall along party lines in almost every instance?

Minnesota GOP took up varied positions in voting against those proposals — from the idea that Democrats were responsible for Operation Metro Surge to the sentiment that federal immigration activity is above the law. Alarming to me, however, is that Republicans seemed to think very little about the people these bills were intended to help.

When HF3435 and SF3616 — two bills that would have limited ICE’s access to schools and childcare centers — were up for debate, Republicans appeared to care more about who would need to enforce the laws than the fact that they were intended to offer protection to students and children and to establish safer learning environments.

This emphasis on “who is responsible” also inpacted other Republican narratives: blaming others for what ICE agents in the state, with face masks to guard against personal identification, were doing with guns, tear gas, and high aggression, even at schools.

As a Minneapolis resident who, like many of my neighbors, wished to see local representatives pass common-sense laws like the aforementioned bills , I wonder about this fixation on “who is responsible” and the potential pushback that someone or some group will receive, rather than simply trying to provide more immediate relief and protection with the power that they hold.

The question I am left with: How could Republican legislators indicate they were scared to do the wrong thing without doing anything at all?

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